


Birthday Gift of Wheels and Freedom

by MrsDvlDg



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Birthday, Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-14 14:43:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18950212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsDvlDg/pseuds/MrsDvlDg
Summary: Just a quick little story I wrote in honor of Eric Close's birthday today.  Vin gives himself the gift of wheels and freedom.  It's set during his childhood while living on the streets of Denver in the AFT universe.





	Birthday Gift of Wheels and Freedom

Vin Tanner sat studying the Saturday classifieds after his shift. Reading was hard enough as it was. Trying to decipher the tangle of abbreviations made his life a living hell. It was too bad he couldn't ask Nettie to help him out but she had already told him flat out that buying a motorcycle was a stupid thing to do. He just couldn't keep borrowing rides from different people, and trying to get to school and work without wheels was bad enough when he had someplace to rest his head. Nettie would have taken him in permanently, but in his mind, that meant letting the state of Texas know where he was. He hadn't stuffed everything he owned into a backpack and hightailed it to Denver just to give Social Services control over him again.

He had decided on a motorcycle because he could find one cheaper than a car as well as being able to work on it in just about any garage. Cruz and 'Lipe had taught him to ride while 'Lipe's sister, 'Delia, helped him to pass the written test. He had turned 16 last week and now had a license with a motorcycle classification on it. He grinned. He had looked into insurance costs as well. Bikes were cheaper to insure when compared to a car. He already had a good leather coat. He wore boots because they lasted longer than shoes. He had found a good helmet with a visor at a pawn shop. Now all he needed was the bike itself. He rubbed his eyes as the letters danced on the newspaper page. Finally, he saw something that caught his eye:  
                           Old Motorcycle, unknown make, found in shed on property. $400. Call 555-1967.

Vin smiled. That was within his price range. He'd been saving up with his part time jobs for over a year. Child labor laws don't make it easy, but he'd done a bit of lawn cutting on the side during the summer months as well as working at McDonald's for as many hours as was legal. Pulling change from his pocket, he headed over to the payphone to make the call.

~~~~~~~

The following day, Vin took the bus to a neighborhood on the outskirts of Denver. Walking six blocks from the stop, he stopped in front of a nice house with a large backyard. The man who lived there took him back to the shed. There sat a nice looking older Harley. Vin just about drooled. He climbed onto the bike and started the motor. The distinctive growl filled the small shed.

“How'd ya find this bike?” Vin asked.

“I just inherited the house from my dad. He'd told me that his brother had bought a motorcycle before being sent to 'Nam. When he got back, my uncle was a broken man. He spent the next few years in and out of mental hospitals. He committed suicide when I was two so I don't remember him. Since my grandparents were already dead, my dad inherited what little stuff he had. This motorcycle and a few medals were it. Dad never rode it. Said it wasn't his thing. But he kept it in good condition because Uncle Martin loved it. Guess I just want it to be loved again.”

Vin knew the bike was worth more than what he was paying for it but he couldn't resist the temptation. He drove off with the bill of sale. Tomorrow, right after school (earlier if he could slip out of study hall), he would go switch the registration into his name and get proof of insurance. He felt incredibly lucky that the guy assumed he was 18. Of course, being on your own tended to make you mature faster than your peers. He drove back to Purgatorio, to show Cruz and 'Lipe his birthday gift. Finally, a gift that made him smile. He felt like he was flying. This bike was his first taste of true freedom. Two more years and then he would be completely free and in control of his own destiny. Not bad for a scrawny little orphan from Texas.

 

7*7*7*7*7*7*7

 

Vin leaned on the fence and watched the horses in the pasture. The team had spent the day celebrating his birthday. Although the weather was still a little chilly, he had ridden his '58 Harley out to the ranch. JD finally asked him why he rode his bike on his birthday weekend, no matter what the weather was like. He had just smiled and said, “Because that was the best birthday gift I ever gave myself, JD. And to ride on my birthday reminds me of just how far I've come from 16 years old.”

The End

and Happy Birthday!

 


End file.
